Reading through Vats and Dutta's article and especially looking at Critical Race Theory we have a complete shut down of dialogue when it is brought up. It has been very frustrating the entire rhetoric of people being angry that Critical Race Theory is being taught. Which from what I understand the actual communication theory which is a five thousand level course isn't but basic concepts of dialogue, communication ethics, and accurately tell our history is being used in the classroom. I think the most common reaction I have gotten to why it shouldn't be taught is that it "attacks" and blames white people. Which it is white people's faults and should be address and fixed here and now. However I think this all wraps into white fragility, as people do not understand white privilege. Like Hain outlined in her article very well they can not even recognize or understand the context of most the things they say. When I think about her article I keep thinking back to her pulling the quote from Liam Neeson which is basically "I'm not racist but" statement and proceeds to be racist. Their is just such a heavy push back toward anything that could open a dialogue about these topics that I feel we are almost hitting points of a lack of common sense and accountability in what someone says. Even looking at proper Critical Race Theory and looking at example like Vats and Dutta talk about of actual laws that don't protect minorities from protesting and just the massive amount of double standards is just insane. I think further looking at liberalism and it's ties to colonialism is really interesting. We essentially have both laws and a common sense of what is suppose to be "appropriate" or "civilized" that we have seen through out our culture but from roots of colonialism that are very problematic and often times used to suppress or minimized a groups feelings or thoughts. There are so many concepts like liberalism that are so ingrained in our society that people fiercely defend and totally shut down dialogue about these topics and why they are an issues. Really curious if we will get to a point where we can actually have more dialogue on these topics and actually start combating problematic systems, stereotypes, and racism towards others.
Hains, Rebecca. “Perspective | Dear Fellow White People: Here's What to Do When You're Called Racist.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Aug. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/dear-fellow-white-people-heres-what-to-do-when-youre-called-racist/2019/08/20/6e31941a-beda-11e9-b873-63ace636af08_story.html.
Vats, Anjali, and Mohan J. Dutta. “Locating Freedom of Speech in an Era of Global White Nationalism.” First Amendment Studies, vol. 54, no. 2, 2020, pp. 156–180., https://doi.org/10.1080/21689725.2020.1838843.
Hey Sean!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree!! I also think it's frustrating that white fragility is so present that they don't even want to teach about race. I remember in middle school and early high school that we learned things like specifically things that happened in the times of slavery, like seeing pictures of a person that was tortured, but we never learned about how our society was created and made out to make white people look better and give them more benefits, and we still benefit off of that today. It really annoys and is frustrating that schools are so quick to show what happened in the actual moments of slavery, but didn't show how white people were benefiting for the rest of the United States' history.
Another point that you made that I wanted to shed light on was your point about dialogue. I think dialogue, especially about race, is shut down so hard! I think having a dialogue is so important to actually building and growing a better society, when people can be educated, share thoughts, and actually have a productive conversation about things like race.